Misrelate

The word photography means “writing with light”. Light is essential to making photographs and you must understand how to use it in order to make your pictures as interesting as possible. There are two basic types of light: natural and artificial. The first comes from the sun, the other from man-made sources.

Natural light generally refers to daylight, although moonlight qualifies too. For photographers, light during the day can vary. There might be a bright or hazy sun that causes shadows. Or it could be heavy and overcast. Daylight also exists in the shade, where subjects are shielded from the direct rays of the sun. Daylight exists indoors, too so not all natural light shots are taken outdoors.

Artificial light is illumination produced by man. It may be an ordinary light bulb, a fluorescent tube, a bright photoflood, a tungsten halogen lamp, an electronic flash, or many other types. Since these types of illumination can be used outdoors, too, not all photographs shot with artificial light are taken indoors.

Photographers also talk about ambient light, existing light and available light. Regardless of the term, this is light - whether natural or artificial- that is already present in the subject area. A photographer who shoots by ambient, existing, or available does not provide any of his own illumination.

Just as there are types of light, there are types of lighting that have special significance for photographers. For instance, directional lighting, such as that provided by the sun, flash, or tungsten halogen bulbs in reflectors, is more precisely described as being front lighting, side lighting, or back lighting.

Front lighting is the most basic for photographers, although not the most appealing. A long-standing rule that says to put the sun at your back so it shines on the front of your subjects was established for good reasons. Early films and camera lenses were not as fast as those in use today; they required considerable light to make an exposure. Old time camera and film manufacturers knew that bright and direct sunlight on the subject would provide an adequate image on the film, so they recommended it. Also, a subject illuminated directly from the front shows every detail because it is uniformly lighted.

Front lighting is still popular today, but many photographers find it unsatisfactory for portraits and other subjects. The reason is that front-lighted subjects appear ‘flat’ because there are no shadows to give a feeling of depth. For this reason, front lighting is commonly referred to as flat lighting. Another disadvantage of front lighting is that people often squint because the sun is shining directly in their eyes.

Photographers have found that changing their camera angle or the position of the subject so that the main illumination is from the side gives more depth and interest to many of their pictures. This is especially true when shooting close-ups of objects. Side lighting can illuminate the left side or the right side of the subject, depending on your preference.

Backlighting refers to situations where the main source of illumination is behind the subject, shining in the direction of the camera. Backlighting requires careful exposure readings so that the front of the subject will be properly exposed. If a reading is made of the backlight itself, the subject will be underexposed and appear as a silhouette. With portraits outdoors, backlighting allows your subject to have a natural expression without squinting because bright light is not shining on his face or into his eyes.

When strong directional light comes from both sides, the technique is known as cross lighting. It is normally used in studio situations with flash or tungsten studio lights, not under daylight conditions.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Photography

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Gathering dust in the closet is a shoe box of pictures. Among them are snapshots of your beloved pets. Unfortunately, the pictures of Skippy are all too far away for us to enlarge for placing on the wall, and the snapshot of our cute little kitty cat is an unrecognizable blur with eyes lit up like spotlights. Here are some tips to help you create a beautiful close up portrait of your pet.

First you need a decent backg5round. Procure a panel of thin plywood sized about three by five feet. Mix the following colors using tubes of color with flat ceiling paint: one cup of alarizon crimson, one cup of beige, one cup of gray-brown, and one cup of apple green. Paint the whole panel with the gray /brown, then blend in the other colors with a large brush, stroking in a diagonal direction. Keep the center portion light. Blend the paint while still wet, but don’t blend too much or you will hide the different colors.

Use a camera which features a telephoto lens or zoom in the 135mm range which will focus at four feet. Use a medium fast ISO setting (200). Locate a spot lit by strong window light for a source or bounce your flash off a silver 36 inch reflector. If you have to use the built in flash, use a mirror or a piece of foil to angle the light to the side or upwards. Place your pet on a box large enough for your pet to be comfortable. Cover the box with a dark, plain material like velvet, satin or damask. For large dogs, it may be better to work on the floor but be sure to lower the camera to the same height. Black dogs are difficult to capture. Try using a flash off camera with a window or other light behind your pet and to one side just out of range of the lens.

Take a few full length shots and then crop just below the neck for a good close up image. Keep your pet’s eyes slightly to the left or right and a little above the camera lens. On long nosed dogs, make sure you can see both eyes. Make a variety of little noises to keep the ears forward. It is a good idea to have ready several squeaky toys because your dog or cat will only perk up their ears once for each different noise. For small dogs or cats, have a wicker basket ready for them to peek out of. Feel free to make a dozen exposures in order to insure capturing a prize winning expression. Save your background for the next time your pet is photographed. Your final pet masterpiece will be treasured just as your pet is a treasured part of your family.

My first professional animal portrait was a horse!

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